1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of integrated circuits. More particularly, this invention relates to power management control within a system comprising one or more integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide integrated circuits with power management control mechanisms that are typically a combination of hardware and software to control the supply voltage and clock frequency of an integrated circuit. This control matches performance requirements of the applications and processes being executed with appropriate levels of voltage and frequency thereby reducing the energy consumed by the integrated circuit. In particular, this technology reduces the operating voltage and clock frequency to just exceed the required performance which has been determined without providing an excess of performance which would needlessly waste energy.
Whilst such techniques and technology are useful, one problem that arises is that the control software that determines the required performance and monitors the system should not in itself degrade the system performance by, for example, increasing the latency associated with certain normal operational tasks, such as task switching. It is desirable to be able to provide power management and control mechanisms that are transparent to the user and that are based on the current workload of the system.